Call: 01392 678082

Established 2004

Ruddlesden geotechnical

Ruddlesden geotechnical provides ground investigation, geotechnical consultancy and contamination assessment services.

Based in Exeter, but covering the whole of the UK, albeit primarily concentrated in the South West, Ruddlesden geotechnical was formed in 2004.

Ruddlesden geotechnical works on behalf of a wide client base, including local, regional and national housing developers, housing associations, commercial developers, building contractors, structural and civil engineers, architects, building consultants, quantity surveyors, local authorities and private individuals.

Development projects range from single dwellings and extensions to large housing estates, multi-storey flats, offices, industrial units, roads, slopes, schools, hospitals and basements.

The services and projects listed on this web-site provide an indication of those undertaken by Ruddlesden geotechnical, but others are carried out. If your requirement is not readily identifiable on this web-site, please contact us as we may still be able to help you.

  • AGS
  • Constructionline
  • CSCS
  • SMAS
  • ECFC trust

Latest news

Recent projects

  • Latest news

    27 Aug 2026

    LiDAR, UAV and GIS used for Slope Stability Assessment

    Geoff Davis has recently been working on another coastal caravan site with slope stability problems.On this site, Lewis Brown Chartered Land Surveyors used remote sensing (LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)) from a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) to help understand the locations and magnitude of ground movements.Ruddlesden geotechnical then used GIS (Geographic Information System)  to highlight areas of concern, to quantify the degree of movement, which might have otherwise been missed.These technologies have been great in helping us understand the landslide processes at this site and, equally importantly, convey to others what is happening. However, they are of little use without a detailed understanding of the geological and geomorphological processes, which inform the all-important ground model, i.e. they should be seen as a useful tool to help us understand and communicate landslide processes, rather than a replacement for the understanding of them.

    LiDAR, UAV and GIS used for Slope Stability Assessment
    LiDAR, UAV and GIS used for Slope Stability Assessment

  • Recent projects

    Cable Percussive Boreholes for Piled Foundation Design and Settlement Analysis

    Cable percussive boring was undertaken as part of a geotechnical investigation to determine the ground profile for piled foundation design and assess the settlement of soft and compressible ground beneath a proposed embankment at the site of a proposed residential development in Shropshire. Cable percussive boring was considered the most suitable method for this project as they facilitated the recovery of relatively soft soils to depths of up to 20m, which could not have been achieved using dynamic sampling/ windowless sample boreholes, trial pits or conventional rotary boreholes. In addition to facilitating in-situ standard penetration tests (SPTs), the cable percussive boreholes allowed undisturbed samples to be taken for undrained triaxial and oedometer consolidation laboratory testing to be carried out, for foundation design and settlement analysis.

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  • Recent projects

    Cliff Stability Assessment, Dorset

    There was a stability risk at a cliff-top site on the Isle of Portland, as indicated by a Phase 1 Geotechnical Assessment, previously undertaken by Ruddlesden geotechnical. Ruddlesden geotechnical were commissioned to assess the potential for landslip, ascertain the likely landslip mechanism and causation and determine the relative risk of collapse. Due to restricted access, rope accesstechniques were utilised to collect rock mass data for use in structural kinematic analyses to ascertain the likely failure modes. The results of the kinematic analyses (and site observations) indicated the potential for rockfall and wedge-type failures within the top 10m of the cliff-top, confined to one particular geological unit. Remedial measures, comprising rock-bolting and meshing, were recommended to maintain the existing cliff profile and hence long-term stability of the site.

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